Marian Shrines Pilgrimage Grand Rapids, MI ·  October 2027

Our pilgrimage begins today as we depart on our overnight flight to Lisbon. Meals and drinks served aloft.

Upon arrival in Lisbon, we will be met by our pilgrimage manager, who will be with us throughout our stay. We start off by enjoying a driving tour of Lisbon on our way to our hotel. Stop at the Monastery of Jeronimos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a panoramic view of the city, including the Tagus River. Also known as the Royal Monastery of Saint Mary of Belem, the 16th-century church was built in the Manueline style (named for King Manuel I – ruler during the initial development of the monastery). Check into our hotel for dinner and overnight. (D, Mass) Overnight Lisbon

After breakfast, we journey north to Santarém and the Church of the Holy Miracle, where we will venerate the miraculous “Bleeding Host,” one of Portugal’s great Eucharistic treasures. After time for prayer, we continue to Fátima and begin settling into the quiet rhythm of this sacred place. Dur-ing our stay in Fátima, we will be accompanied and spiritually guided by the Sisters of the Aliança de Santa Maria (Alliance of Holy Mary), a Portuguese congregation devoted to helping others en-counter and live the message of Our Lady of Fátima. Their presence will help us move beyond simply seeing the places of the apparitions and begin entering more deeply into Our Lady’s invita-tion to prayer, conversion, reparation, and trust in God. This evening, we will have the opportunity to join pilgrims from around the world in the candlelight Rosary procession at the Shrine. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Fatima

Today we experience Fátima through the eyes of the Sisters of the Aliança de Santa Maria. One of the sisters will accompany our group, share the story of the apparitions, and help us understand more deeply the lives and witness of Francisco, Jacinta, and Lúcia. Our pilgrimage will take us to the places at the heart of their story, including the Shrine of Fátima, the village of Aljustrel where the three shepherd children lived, and Valinhos, where Our Lady appeared to them following their imprisonment. Along the way, the sisters will help place what we see within the larger spiritual message entrusted to the children. One of the sisters will also offer a conference for our group, in-viting us to consider not only what happened at Fátima, but what Our Lady’s message asks of us today. Time will be left for personal prayer and reflection so that this day remains an encounter ra-ther than simply a tour. This evening offers another opportunity to participate in the Stations of the Cross along the Via Sacra or the candlelight rosary procession in the heart of the shrine. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Fatima

Today we intentionally slow down and allow the message of Fátima to become something more than a story we have heard or places we have visited. One of the Sisters of the Aliança de Santa Maria will help lead us into this retreat day, drawing upon the spirituality that lies at the heart of their own religious life: prayer and contemplation, love for Jesus in the Eucharist, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and Our Lady’s call to conversion and holiness. Our time with the sis-ters will include a spiritual conference designed not simply to explain the message of Fátima, but to help us consider how that message is meant to be lived in our own lives. Depending upon ar-rangements for our group, part of our retreat may take place with the sisters at their Fátima convent. The remainder of the day will be intentionally unstructured, giving each pilgrim time for silence and personal prayer. With the sisters helping us enter more deeply into the spirituality of Fátima, this day is an invitation to listen, to pray, and to allow the graces of our pilgrimage to take root. This evening, those who wish may join pilgrims from around the world in the candlelight Rosary pro-cession at the Shrine. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Fatima

We depart Fatima this morning and travel across the border and through the Spanish countryside to Salamanca, home of some of Spain’s most ornate architecture made of golden sandstone, and home to the third oldest university in Europe. We will walk through the bustling Plaza Mayor with its sweeping arches and enjoy a taste of Spanish culture before praying in the Cathedrals Vieja (Old) and Nueva (New). The cathedrals have numerous chapels inside, an elaborate high al-tar panel, and a mixture of architectural design unique to Spain. Christopher Columbus brought his maps here for discussion. Overnight tonight in this majestic city. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Sala-manca

This morning we will make our way to Burgos. Enjoy a tour of the city including visits to the 14th century city gate known as the Arco de Santa Maria and the Monasterio de las Huelgas founded in 1180 with renovations and additions from nearly every major European architectural style. Pray in the vast limestone cathedral dedicated to our Blessed Mother, explore the Miraflores Charterhouse, the Carthusian monastery housing the tombs of Spanish kings and queens, along with other treasures of the church. The rest of the day will be free to explore and en-joy dinner on our own. (B, Mass) Overnight Burgos

This morning we depart Burgos for Loyola, the birthplace of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. Here, we will see the 17th-century Basilica dedicated to St. Ignatius and his family home behind the sanctuary. Pray in the venerated room where Ignatius, at age 30, was brought following his serious wounding at the Battle of Pamplona and experienced his great conversion. Afterwards we cross the border into France on our way to Lourdes, known for its healing waters after the Vir-gin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858. It is also where the Blessed Mother announced she was the Immaculate Conception. Join hundreds of other pilgrims in the Blessed Sacrament Proces-sion and Candlelight Procession that has endured since 1863. Lourdes will be our home for the next three nights. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Lourdes

Bask in the grace of Lourdes all day as we have Mass at the Grotto of Massabielle, where Our La-dy first appeared to St. Bernadette and had her dig for the spring that is now known across the world for its many miracles of healing. We visit the Basilica of St. Pius X, a massive underground concrete church. We also visit the humble home where St. Bernadette lived during the appari-tions. Tonight, we join the candlelight procession with thousands of other pilgrims in prayer and song. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Lourdes

Enjoy a full retreat day on your own in the peaceful setting of Lourdes. This is a day the slower pace of this pilgrimage was built for, go back to whatever took hold of you, take your time in the confessional lines, or simply rest. Today also gives us unhurried time at the spring. Our Lady told Bernadette, “Go drink at the spring and wash yourself there,” and pilgrims have been coming to do exactly that ever since. One note so that no one arrives with the wrong expectation: pilgrims are no longer lowered into the water at the Baths. What is offered in its place is the older and simpler act, the one Bernadette herself was actually asked to perform. Remember that there was no spring at all when Our Lady sent Bernadette to look for one: she scratched at the bare mud with her hands, drank the dirty water, and washed her face with it in front of a crowd who were certain she had lost her senses. The spring surfaced afterward and has not stopped since. We will all gather this even-ing for a farewell dinner before participating one last time in the evening pilgrim activities. (B, D, Mass) Overnight Lourdes

This morning say goodbye to western Europe as we make our way to the airport in Pau for our return flight back to the U.S.